Network operations center and appliance host in a single machine.

ABSTRACT

System and method of a single machine or cluster of machines acting as a single machine that simplifies and consolidates the hosting of appliances using virtualization, containers, and or any type of sandboxing to host virtual appliances, however, interconnecting these appliance nodes in a manner of having one centralized node acting as the security center, firewall appliance, and information distributer for not only the local virtual network(s), machines, appliances, but physical and foreign virtual networks which includes but is not limited to wireless connectivity and or whatever the current ubiquitous connectivity, as well as multiple sub-networks via single or multiple networking adapters; using these methods allows for a completely secure customized network environment with all the needed appliances for the intended use case.

CROSSREFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTINGCOMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to information technology, information security,virtualized, container, and or sandboxed environments, and networkingcomprised and hosted in a single machine, in particular the design ofthe invention provides the ability to have one machine run your entirenetwork operations, virtual appliance hosting, and information securitywith scalability as well.

The state of the technology in the entire market is commercially andhistorically absent of this type of machine. Virtual machines andsandboxing have existed for a little while now, however, the method ofinterconnecting these virtual machines as well as integrating them withthe machine's hardware make this a unique solution.

The current trend in computing is cloud and virtualized environments arealways hosted at some other outsourced data farm often in a differentarea. This paradigm of computing prevents your direct control andownership of your data and performance is reliant on many differentnetworks before reaching destination, leaving vulnerabilities open tomany attackers or malicious parties.

Information security and network environments are commonly using manydifferent machines and devices for specific purposes, with thisinvention all of those mechanisms can be secured, managed, andimplemented from one machine.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The intention of this invention is to be able to provide a personal andprivate, isolated and secure environment from the method of how theinvention's virtual machine appliances, containers, and or any type ofsandboxing mechanism are constructed together and integrated with themachine's hardware. It will allow physical and virtual machines whetherwireless or wired, e.g. tablets, phones, laptops, smart homes orbuildings (IoT), etc., to join the machine's network and have access toall of the locally hosted appliances like a file storage serverappliance, Customer Relations Management Appliance, Client ManagementAppliance, Content Management System Appliance, Ticketing SystemAppliance, Media Server Appliance, Game Server, etc. as well as theenvironments that are created for the user's experience for example;customized webpages and portals, applications, and software installedand configured for a more connected and integrated experience for theuser. All of this will be firewalled and secured by the Virtual SecurityAppliance that is part of the invention's centralized routing methods.

This invention answers many issues that were mentioned in the previoustopic or Background of the Invention. The machine would be intended butnot limited to be located locally and this will prevent your data fromtraveling across foreign networks and provide the best performancepossible. This invention can be used as many things and play many rolesincluding but not limited to an Informational toolbox for ITprofessionals and the like. Installing multiple virtual appliances thatcan help IT run, for instance, a Ticketing System Appliance, ClientManagement Appliance, Automated Backup Appliance, etc. This machine canalso be used as a virtual portal for external business solutions andremote work environments.

BRIEF DISCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a diagram consisting of a box thatrepresents a machine that is host to multiple virtual appliance nodesand the connectivity to the machine's hardware.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a diagram consisting of a box that represents amachine that is host to multiple virtual appliance nodes and theconnectivity to the machine's hardware.

Referring to FIG. 1 there is a box 7 that represents a machine or acluster of machines that consists of networking interfaces 4 (thequantity of interfaces is dependent upon use case) that have physicalconnections to networks using the latest networking and communication'stechnologies.

The uplink/internet service provider network, communication, and ormodem interface 1 that provides the virtual security appliance 5internet access and or private network access via a bridge, virtualnetwork, or equivalent 2.

The virtual appliance nodes 8, representing an unlimited amount of nodesare connected via bridges, virtual networks, or equivalent 6 to thevirtual security appliance 5 by using its virtual network interface 3 aswell as having the ability to connect to any of the machine's interfaces4, to make it a configuration that is dynamic. This allows the inventionto communicate with internal virtual appliances nodes 8 via bridges,virtual networks, or equivalent 21 from virtual adaptors 20 as well asthe external networks and sub-networks, interchangeably and as manyinstances of these configurations as needed per use case.

Referring to FIG. 2 there is a box 15 that represents a machine or acluster of machines housed in the machine, there is a hosting layer 17that represents the layer(s) of virtualization, container(s), and orsandboxing for the virtual appliances represented by the quantity of theindividual use case 16. The uplink/internet service provider network,communication, and or modem interface 9 provides the virtual securityappliance 13 and routes and shares internet and network connectivity tothe virtual appliances 16 connected via bridges, virtual networks, orequivalent 14 as well as isolated virtual appliances connected viabridges, virtual networks, or equivalent 19 from virtual adaptors 18.Also, the virtual security appliance provides Internet or networkconnectivity and resources to external networks via its virtual adaptor11 and the bridge, virtual connection or equivalent 10 to the physicalnetworking or communications adaptor 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention and its detailed mechanisms and methods is intended for asingle machine, or cluster of machines acting as a single machine, thatcan be based upon open source or proprietary hardware, the ability tohost multiple appliances using virtual machines, container, or any typeof sandboxing mechanism, and have those virtual appliance nodesconnected and configured in a manner that centralizes one virtualappliance node that acts as a router and or firewall and orinformational security portal to not only to the local virtualappliance's that are being hosted on said machine but as well asphysical networks that are connected via the machine's communicationinterfaces, wireless networks or equivalent ubiquitous networks,external virtual machines and virtual networks, container, or some typeof sandboxed mechanism. This will allow one machine to provide all theservices, security, and software that are needed for any network as wellas allowing the possibility for creating an isolated/private networkembedded in an existing network.

Other objects and advantages besides those discussed above will beapparent to those skilled in the art from the description of thepreferred embodiment of the invention which follows. Thus, in thedescription, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which forma part hereof, and which illustrate one example of the invention. Suchexample, however, is not exhaustive of the various alternative forms ofthe invention. Therefor, reference should be made to the claims, whichfollow the description for determining the full scope of the invention.

With flexibility and security in mind the invention is designed to beable to be customized for each individual use case however still usingthe core methodology of the constructed virtual appliance nodes and themachines hardware e.g. networking cards, memory, etc.

This invention can be used as many things including but not limited toan Information Technology toolbox for IT professionals and the like.Installing multiple virtual appliances on this machine/invention thatcan help IT manage the infrastructure for instance, a ticketing systemappliance, web server, client management appliance, automated backupappliance, LDAP server appliance, etc. This invention can also be usedas a virtual portal for external business solutions and remote workenvironments for example; an IT Support Company can use this inventionas a tool for remote support or manage an entire companies ITinfrastructure.

Another brilliant way to implement this invention is to view it in afamily/home environment; it can be the sole replacement for a modem,router, external hard drive(s), back up services, security services,cloud services etc. and be able to host local centralized services likea home/building surveillance center appliance, gaming server appliances,media server appliances, back up server appliance, telecommunicationsappliance, etc.

1. A network operations center and appliance host in a single machine,comprising; a machine having been constructed using open source and orproprietary hardware and or software, with capabilities that include butare not limited to; redundant applications and methods for componentfailure and performance mechanisms; redundant storage, memory,networking interfaces and the like; an operating system, open source orproprietary, and or a type of host with capabilities of virtualization,containers, and or any type of sandboxing mechanisms; a list of virtualappliance clients that are being hosted on said machine, the quantitybeing determined by the machine's hardware specifications andcapabilities for the intended use case, these being used to enhance theexperience and productivity for the user; a method of aligning andconstructing these virtual appliance clients via bridges, virtualnetworks etc. that centralize one client or node as the router, firewallappliance, as well as a security appliance; thus this centralizedvirtual security appliance provides security, data, and content to theentire list of locally hosted virtual appliances and, via the inventionsnetwork interfaces, provide private networks, local services, Softwareas a Service, Platform as a Service, and subnets to foreign and externalphysical and virtual machines. These machines could be tablets, phones,laptops, smart homes or buildings also known as Internet of Things(IoT).